Automobile Safety Considerations

[freedomatlast]

As the supply of new cars and trucks starts to improve, and discounts off of MSRP are becoming more common again, many of us who delayed buying a vehicle are now starting to look again. As I get older, I find myself thinking about safety more and more. And I'm not talking about collision avoidance, blind spot monitoring, lane assist, etc. I'm talking about taking trips across the country and flying under the radar, not standing out in any way.

A few years ago, our older, retired neighbors came back from a trip from the northeast through the mid-west, and they visited many of the national parks and tourist attractions along the way. All in all, a great trip for them. However, one day, they happened to notice the same lifted pickup truck at various times throughout the day. They stopped at a restaurant at the end of the day, and when they came back out, there it was again. They left to head back to the hotel and didn't see anyone following them, so they had no concerns. That night, about 2:00 AM, they woke up to the low rumble of an engine, looked out and there was the same truck again. It parked and two occupants got out, walked by their luxury brand SUV, looked inside it with flashlights and tried to gain access to several hotel room doors nearby, including theirs. He had his pistol out and ready, and fortunately, didn't need to use it. Finally, another vehicle turned into the parking lot and the two men and truck left. They never saw the truck again for the rest of the trip. They commented when they got back, they think they were targeted because they were older, and driving an expensive, late model, luxury brand SUV.

[mod edit]

There seems to be more insanity in the world everyday, and anymore, I would rather blend in with the crowd than stand out, especially when in unfamiliar territory. When choosing a new vehicle, we chose the highest trim level of the base brand rather than buying basically the same vehicle with the luxury brand emblem. (Think Toyota vs. Lexus, Honda vs. Acura, Chevrolet vs. Cadillac, etc).

So I was wondering, does anyone else here attempt to blend into the crowd more as they get older, trying to avoid unwanted attention from the seemingly growing portion of the population with serious hostility and mental issues?

 

[Car-Guy]

No not me... Not trying to stand out or be flashy but I'll be dang if I'm going to let a bunch of low life's intimidate me or sway me from what I want to drive or where I want to go. I realize it's a dangerous world and I try to stay aware and "prepared". I'm probably an outlier on this topic "too" but that's just me. YMMV

 

[REWahoo]

We don't own/drive anything that is remotely flashy, so it is not something I've ever been concerned about.

 

[frayne]

Living in a decent size city, I agree with you 100%.

 

[audreyh1]

Even though we drive an expensive car, it’s actually pretty discrete (well, except for the color, but that doesn’t indicate price). Most folks have no clue.

Lots of high end luxury vehicles around here, BMWs, Mercedes, even the occasional Ferrari, so we don’t stand out at all.

We road trip a lot. I would hope we would become aware of stalkers. Not going to change our ways just in case.

 

[Badger]

Back in the 60s a popular car modification was called a "sleeper". Looked like a common/basic stock car but had a big engine with speed equipment. I always liked that idea.
Then there are folks who like to outfit Sprinters for camping and travel and put a rack on top to hold an old ratty ladder or something similar. Looks like a work vehicle and they park on the street in a neighborhood at night to sleep. People tend not to bother with it.

Cheers!

 

[2HOTinPHX]

That was definitely one of the things we considered when we traded in our Cadillac ATS for our generic looking Chevy Bolt EU recently. We didn't want to put out that "look at us vibe" and potentially become a target. Definitely a little more of a consideration these days with everything going on.
Bigger consideration was all the new safety features, ventilated seats, more practicality the Bolt offered that our base model ATS lacked.
I have always been more of a Chevy verse Cadillac person. I was not really comfortable driving around in a Caddy. But that's another issue for another day... LOL.

 

[OldShooter]

We don't do much cross-country driving so I do not have the concern that you do. My concern is mostly for speeding tickets as we commute between our city home and our lake home. So one thing I do is to buy cars that are somewhat "asphalt colored" -- black, gray, etc. So I do not stand out on the road. I also make an annual donation to the state sheriff association. This gets me a "supporting member" sticker to put on my rear window. I call it my good luck charm. I know for a fact that it has saved me at least one, probably two tickets.

To your concern, a "expensive, late model, luxury brand SUV" is probably not the answer. Any new vehicle beyond the econobox grocery-getters is more likely to draw people's attention. I would suggest an LBYM older vehicle and not keeping it too clean. Also, don't leave things visible in the vehicle and, when traveling, park it only in well-lighted areas of motel parking lots.

 

[Mr._Graybeard]

We don't do much cross-country driving so I do not have the concern that you do. My concern is mostly for speeding tickets as we commute between our city home and our lake home. So one thing I do is to buy cars that are somewhat "asphalt colored" -- black, gray, etc. So I do not stand out on the road.

DW drives a sand-colored Prius. We bought it because it hides dirt nicely (DW is not a car wash habitue) but the downside is that it's not very visible on the road. Other motorists sometimes don't see it when they pull into an intersection. As a result we have to drive very defensively.

The next car we buy will be a very visible color.

 

[RunningBum]

DW drives a sand-colored Prius. We bought it because it hides dirt nicely (DW is not a car wash habitue) but the downside is that it's not very visible on the road. Other motorists sometimes don't see it when they pull into an intersection. As a result we have to drive very defensively.

Do you run your headlights during the day? That can help you be seen.

 

[Midpack]

I don’t think “blending in” makes much difference when it comes to car theft. All we can do is drive an old car or avoid circumstances that are more likely to lead to problems, knowing there are still no guarantees…

 

[Car-Guy]

I'm not an expect on car thefts but the chart above makes me wonder about a couple of things. (1) How easy are those vehicles to steal compared to others and (2) since those are all very common vehicles (lots of them) you might expect more of them to be stolen just because there are more of them on the road. It might be interesting/meaningful to see % stolen of different makes/models. I'll poke around on the internet and see what I can find.

 

[joesxm3]

ChatGPT says that the most stolen by percentage are accord and civic.

 

[foxfirev5]

We don't do much cross-country driving so I do not have the concern that you do. My concern is mostly for speeding tickets as we commute between our city home and our lake home. So one thing I do is to buy cars that are somewhat "asphalt colored" -- black, gray, etc. So I do not stand out on the road. I also make an annual donation to the state sheriff association. This gets me a "supporting member" sticker to put on my rear window. I call it my good luck charm. I know for a fact that it has saved me at least one, probably two tickets.

Nice to see you're supporting a bunch of crooks or at least unprofessional law enforcement. With family members currently in law enforcement I'm particularly sensitive to this BS. It's time to move on from the good old boys.

 

[OldShooter]

... Nice to see you're supporting a bunch of crooks or at least unprofessional law enforcement. ...

The state sheriff's association is a bunch of crooks?

 

[foxfirev5]

Absolutely, if your support got you out of a ticket that you deserved. Be careful now, because you're making my point. This is almost too easy.

 

[aaronc879]

The state sheriff's association is a bunch of crooks?

Maybe he meant something else but if they are accepting donations then giving breaks only to law breakers that support them then what do you call that?

 

[joesxm3]

My friend had a state trooper for a neighbor who gave him his business card to carry. He called it his get out of jail free card.

 

[brett]

We see this constantly when we travel to foreign countries.

They way some people dress, the way they pull out their wallets in stores, the way speak loudly in order to bring attention to themselves or go out of their way to complain about something.

 

[OldShooter]

Maybe he meant something else but if they are accepting donations then giving breaks only to law breakers that support them then what do you call that?

Wow, the logic here gets convoluted. The association had nothing to do with my getting a break on a tag. No one there even knew. The individual officer, who as a highway cop probably did not even belong to the sheriffs' association, made the decision. So he is the guy you're mad at?

I won't respond again. We're well OT.

 

[Sunset]

My natural frugal habits mean, even a new vehicle is not too attractive. When I bought a new white toyota van 3rd from the top tier. That was the most attractive vehicle I've owned.

I do exercise some awareness of the area, especially where I park at a hotel.

Around here, folks come by and test the door handles to make sure you locked your car If you failed to lock your car, they clean it for you by removing loose change, etc..

 

[foxfirev5]

So why did you bring up your donation in the first place? What's the connection? At this point I would just give up. Or do you want more?

 

[foxfirev5]

Wow, the logic here gets convoluted. The association had nothing to do with my getting a break on a tag. No one there even knew. The individual officer, who as a highway cop probably did not even belong to the sheriffs' association, made the decision. So he is the guy you're mad at?

I won't respond again. We're well OT.

Then why did YOU bring it up in the first place? Please read your post. No need to respond for obvious reasons.

And yeah they're probably crooks. On whatever level you choose to acknowledge.

 

[ivinsfan]

The original post had nothing to do with speeding or stolen cars. Can't people read anymore?



It's about people seeing you have a high end vehicle and thinking you might be carrying a lot cash, or wear expensive jewels or following you home to see if you have nice stuff to steal.



We usually drive a nice but not upscale brand vehicle but will buy the most expensive versions with the most upgrades. On the road it looks no different then a non upgraded car but has a better sound system, interior and the like.


When traveling I have a very low price lab manufactured wedding set and wear that and no other expensive jewels.

 

[Walt34]

Mod note:

Please stick to the original topic, that of "sticking out" as a target for thievery. Thank you.